- Trump files $10 billion lawsuit against BBC for defamation and deceptive practices
- Lawsuit claims BBC edited Jan. 6, 2021, speech to misrepresent Trump’s words
- BBC previously apologized but denied defamation; top executives resigned
President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation and engaging in deceptive and unfair trade practices.
The 33-page complaint alleges that the BBC broadcast a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction” of Trump, describing it as “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The lawsuit claims the broadcaster spliced together separate portions of Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech to “intentionally misrepresent the meaning” of his words.
The BBC has not immediately responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Last month, the broadcaster issued an apology to Trump over the edited footage, but it rejected claims of defamation after Trump threatened legal action. BBC Chairman Samir Shah described the incident as an “error of judgment,” which led to the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and its head of news.
The January 6 speech occurred shortly before some of Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, as Congress prepared to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory—a result Trump falsely claimed had been stolen.
The BBC aired the hour-long documentary, titled Trump: A Second Chance?, just days before the 2024 U.S. election. The documentary combined three quotes from two separate parts of the January 6 speech, delivered almost an hour apart, to make it appear that Trump urged supporters to “march with me and fight like hell.” The edits omitted sections in which Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.
Earlier Monday, Trump said he was suing the BBC “for putting words in my mouth.”
“They actually put terrible words in my mouth having to do with Jan. 6 that I didn’t say, and they’re beautiful words that I said, right?” Trump said during an Oval Office appearance. “They didn’t say the good things I said, talking about patriotism and all of the positive things I said. Instead, they put terrible words.”
The lawsuit was filed in Florida after deadlines to bring the case in the U.K. expired more than a year ago. Legal experts have noted potential hurdles in the U.S., as the documentary was not aired there. However, the complaint argues that U.S. viewers can access BBC content, including the documentary via the BritBox subscription streaming service.
Founded 103 years ago, the BBC is a publicly funded institution supported by an annual license fee of £174.50 ($230) per household that consumes live TV or BBC content. Bound by its charter to maintain impartiality, the broadcaster is regularly subject to scrutiny and criticism from both conservative and liberal audiences.
